Installers used to STCs often assume that VEECs also have a postcode multiplier. For most activities they do not, and the difference matters for how you quote.
How STCs use zones
For small-scale solar, STCs depend on the postcode’s zone rating, which reflects solar resource. At the time of writing, per the Clean Energy Regulator postcode table, Melbourne, Geelong, Hobart and Launceston are zone 4, so Victorian solar jobs are mostly on the lowest-output rating of the common zones; the ratings are 1.622, 1.536, 1.382 and 1.185 across zones 1 to 4. Our zone rating guide and the STC calculator show the rules.
How VEECs work instead
VEECs are calculated by each activity’s own method, usually a deemed calculation that takes inputs such as the product’s efficiency, the size of the space or the equipment, and the activity’s lifetime. Many Victorian activities use the same inputs statewide. Others use inputs that effectively depend on the climate or the site, such as space conditioning or hot water, and the activity guide spells out which.
So the right question is not “what is the Victorian zone”, but “which inputs does this activity’s guide use”. For examples, see how many VEECs a heat pump hot water system creates and heat pumps and VEECs in Victoria. For cold rooms, the count depends on floor area, covered in the refrigeration discount.
Where location can still matter
- Eligibility. Some activities depend on the property type, whether residential or business, and sometimes the existing equipment.
- Climate-sensitive activities. Where a guide uses a climate input, check it.
- Gas versus electric. The baseline for a replacement can differ.
I am not listing per-activity numbers here, because versions change and a stale number is worse than none. The Essential Services Commission publishes the guides and the deemed calculation tools.
What this means for installers
- Pull the activity guide in force for the job date; see where to find versions.
- Use the ESC’s calculation inputs, not a rule of thumb.
- If you also install solar, treat STCs and VEECs as separate calculations and make sure the evidence for each is complete; see VEECs and STCs on the same job.
Where to sell
Once the certificates exist, rates and settlement time decide what you keep. See VEEC trading, pricing and how it works.